RE: View Mode Media Feature review

The spec says: "Applies to: visual and tactile media types" [1].

While these view modes do make sense for visual media types, they don't seem to fit for the two tactile media types "braille" and "embossed" [2].  

Questions arising:

1. A user using a screen reader with a braille display: Should the user agent switch to the CSS rules defined for media type "braille"?  This would be strange since the primary interaction mode is visual (there are windows on a screen that the *screen* reader reads out and feeds the braille display).

2. In a pure tactile interaction environment (not mediated through a visual screen as typical for today), does the WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers) interaction model make sense at all?  On a first glance, i think that it could make sense in a 2D tactile pin matrix environment where raised dots are used to present letters (braille) and graphical strokes, and these dots can be used for interaction with the user.  But it does not make sense for the current media type "braille" (which is meant to be a continuous stream of characters), and not for "embossed" (which is meant to be a static printout in braille).

3. 2D tactile interaction environments are not common (yet).  Should there be an additional tactile media type for 2D tactile interaction (such as "pinmatrix" or "2dtactile")? In research or for early adopters, is there already a commonly accepted interaction vocabulary for 2D tactile displays (such as the WIMP for visual displays)?  Or would we simply go with WIMP for simple transfer between the visual and the tactile representation?

Maybe we can have some discussion on these questions here.

Takeaways:

1. (To the Web Applications WG) Unless they can define what the view modes ("windowed", "floating", "fullscreen", "maximized", "minimized") mean for the media types "braille" and "embossed", we should better not apply 'view-mode' to tactile media types.

2. (For us - WAI and PF) Think about the questions above. 

Thanks,
Gottfried

References:

[1] View Mode Media Feature.  W3C Working Draft 20 April 2010.  Section 5. The 'view-mode' media feature.  http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/WD-view-mode-20100420/#the--view-mode--media-feature 

[2] Cascading Style Sheets Level 2 Revision 1 (CSS 2.1) Specification.  W3C Candidate Recommendation 08 September 2009.  Section 7.3 Recognized media types. http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/media.html#media-types 


> -----Original Message-----
> From: wai-xtech-request@w3.org [mailto:wai-xtech-request@w3.org] On
> Behalf Of Gregory J. Rosmaita
> Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 5:24 PM
> To: wai-xtech@w3.org
> Subject: View Mode Media Feature review
> 
> aloha!
> 
> this is a fullfilment of an action item assigned to me by the PFWG to
> review the "View Mode Media Feature" document; the document, is an
> explanatory document, which defines terms which relate to various "view
> modes" -- this is more an informational review than a critique, as i
> believes it behooves all WAI working groups to agree-upon and converge
> upon the common vocabulary that the "View Mode Media Feature" document
> seeks to provide, which is why this has been posted to the WAI-XTECH
> list, rather than the member-confidential PF emailing list.
> 
> the first important part of this document is the list of definitions,
> enumerated at:
> 
> http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/WD-view-mode-20100420/#definitions
> 
> QUOTE
> View mode
>     The view mode is the manner in which a Web application is presented
>     to a user that corresponds to the metaphors and functionalities in
>     use on a given platform. This specification defines a number of
>     view modes that a user agent is expected to match to comparable
>     platform-specific situations.
> 
> Chrome
>     The chrome comprises the visible parts of the user agent that do
>     not depend on the content (e.g. window decorations, tool bars,
>     title bars, menus).
> 
> Immersive
>     A user interface is said to be immersive when its controls and
>     components are created to match the specific style of the
> application
>     instead of using the chrome and widgets of the platform.
> 
> Media feature
>     The term media feature is defined in [MEDIAQ].
>     http://www.w3.org/TR/2009/CR-css3-mediaqueries-20090915/
> 
> Screen area
>     The area of the screen that is generally available for
> applications,
>     excluding parts that the system generally keeps to itself (e.g. a
> bar
>     at the top for menus, time, or context, or at the bottom with a
> list
>     of running applications).
> 
> Web application
>     A Web application is an application built and shipped using Web
>     technology that may be running inside of a browser, as a widget, or
>     in another type of container designed for this purpose.
> 
> Widgets
>     The term widget is defined in [WIDGETS].
>     http://www.w3.org/TR/2009/CR-widgets-20091201/
> 
> Viewport
>     The term viewport is defined in [CSS21].
>     http://www.w3.org/TR/2009/CR-CSS2-20090423/visuren.html#x1
> UNQUOTE
> 
> second is the explanation of the "view-mode" media feature
> 
> QUOTE
> The view-mode media feature describes the mode in which the Web
> application is being shown as a running application on the platform.
> 
> * Value: windowed | floating | fullscreen | maximized | minimized
> * Applies to: visual and tactile media types
> * Accepts min/max prefixes: No
> 
> A user agent should make a best-effort attempt at matching the great
> variety of platform conventions in which it may be running a Web
> application to the list of view modes defined in this specification so
> that the view-mode media feature may describe common situations in a
> manner that is useful to authors.
> UNQUOTE
> 
> the third important component of the View Mode Media Feature is the
> enumeration of values which the view-mode media feature accepts:
> 
> QUOTE
> 5.1 View modes
> 
> The view-mode media feature accepts the following enumerated values:
> 
> windowed
>     Describes a Web application running in a windowed manner, which is
> to
>     say with chrome and without occupying the entire screen area.
> 
> floating
>     Describes a Web application providing a more immersive interface,
>     running in a windowed manner but without chrome, and with the
>     viewport's initial background being transparent such that other
>     system items (other applications, the display's background...) can
>     be seen through parts of the viewport that are not being painted
>     to.
> 
> fullscreen
>     Describes a Web application that is occupying the entirety of the
>     display, including the parts normally excluded from the screen area
>     (e.g. a fullscreen video).
> 
> maximized
>     Describes a Web application that is occupying the entirety of the
>     screen area
> 
> minimized
>     Describes a Web application docked or otherwise minimised, but with
> a
>     dynamic graphical representation being available nevertheless (i.e.
>     the application isn't entirely hidden, or maybe its icon is still
>     shown and it has control over what it contains). This may
> correspond
>     for instance to a thumbnail of the application's content being
> shown.
> UNQUOTE
> 
> gregory.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> LANGUAGE, n.  The music with which we charm the serpents guarding
> another's treasure.     -- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>             Gregory J. Rosmaita, oedipus@hicom.net
>      Camera Obscura: http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/index.html
> UBATS: United Blind Advocates for Talking Signs: http://ubats.org
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>

Received on Tuesday, 11 May 2010 18:22:16 UTC